Doctors in Albay told their family it is possible to separate the sisters but involves a risky operation, which caused a local charitable foundation to withdraw its earlier financial support.

The procedure to separate the conjoined twins costs more than five million pesos, which the family cannot afford.

A friend of the family said: “The doctors said the operation would be quite risky as one nerve connects the girls and it would have to be connected within seconds or else one of them would die. That is when the foundation withdrew their support.”

The twins’ father Patrick Magsino, 30, relies on his meagre wage as an assistant market porter, while his wife Jomarie has gone to work as a maid in Qatar to help save money.

The operation to separate the girls carries a great risk of one, or both of them, dying

Mr Magsino said: “We have been trying to organise the funds for the past five years after the doctors confirmed that the girls can be separated, but we haven’t been able to get even one third of it so far.

“I’d be open to any procedure where the safety of both my girls will be ensured.

“Also, expenses should be covered as well, because on my own I would never be able to afford their treatment.”

Separating conjoined twins

The family claim at the time of the twins’ birth a local charity offered to pay for medical treatment. Yet they apparently withdrew this offer in 2014 when doctors said the operation was risky.

Mr Magsino said: “When the girls were born they were fed through a plastic tube but today they are playful.

“It has become hard to control them especially because they now want to be separated.

“The twins have developed a great sense of understanding, but they occasionally fight over doing their preferred activities.

“Joyce has a cleft lip and is dominant of the two twins. She usually manages to get her way in most situations.”